+
Have you heard of Lohengrin? It is a German Opera written and composed by
+Richard Wagner in 1850. I happen to think that German Opera is more
+entertaining than Italian Opera, but enough about me.
+
King Ludwig II
+
Which brings me to King Ludwig II of Bavaria. If I understand correctly,
+King Ludwig was very fond of Lohengrin, and built Neuschwanstein Castle
+as a private world for himself where he could live alone in a fantasy
+inspired by the Knight of the Swan Legend, on which Lohengrin
+is based.
+
But don't judge King Ludwig II too harshly: he was after all a cigar connoisseur,
+drove a smoking-hot golden carriage, and Neuschwanstein Castle is
+an excellent place to take selfies. You really should visit the
+Marstallmuseum at Nymphenburg Palace in Munich and see the golden
+carriage.
+
Needless to say, Lohengrin is quite different from the Strauss Operas
+that your great-great-great Grandmother used to listen to on
+her smartphone in the bathtub.
+
Lohengrin
+
So what happens in Lohengrin? King Henry the Fowler fights the Magyars.
+This means we have to talk about the Magyars, King Henry's Son Otto,
+the Battle of Augsburg which is sometimes called the Battle of Lechfeld,
+and the Mongols!
+
Magyars
+
Ok, the Magyars are descended from a nomadic-steppe-people who settled on
+the Hungarian Plain, which is sometimes called the Carpathian Plain.
+
Unfortunately for them, the Hungarian Plain was not quite vast
+enough to support a prosperous nomadic lifestyle. And so for some hundreds
+of years, the Magyars raided and pillaged all over Europe. It should be noted that
+Hungary considers 1896 to be the 1000th anniversary of the Magyars entering
+the Carpathian Plain, and in that year many memorials, monuments, and museums
+were built in Budapest.
+
As stated above, the Magyars came into conflict with King Henry the Fowler
+who was the King of East Frankia. East Frankia evolved from the Eastern Parts of the
+Carolingian Empire that was originally put together by Charlemagne. Indeed,
+there is today a region of Bavaria called Franconia, which has excellent
+regional passenger trains connecting innumerable picturesque little cities and towns
+which are perfect for taking selfies and drinking the local bier. But I digress.
+
Battle of Lechfeld
+
The Magyars were finally defeated by King Henry the Fowler's son King Otto I
+near Augsburg in 910, Augsburg being an ancient city in Bavaria that goes all
+the way back to the Roman Empire.
+
King Otto I of East Frankia was the greatest King since Charlemagne, and the
+Battle of Lechfeld was equal in importance to the Battle of Hastings in 1066,
+in the context of European History, but deeper analysis of that is above my
+pay grade. (This is a free blog post)
+
Recommended
+
Anyway, the Magyars gave up their raiding, became Christianized, and adopted
+a more agrarian lifestyle on the Hungarian Plain where they founded the Nation
+of Hungary around the year 1000. In the 13th Century, the Mongols invaded Hungary,
+but were never able to advance beyond Hungary into Western Europe.
+
For more riveting entertainment about the Mongols, I recommend Dan Carlin's Hardcore
+History Podcast, in particular the subseries Wrath of The Khans.
+
Thanks for reading, I'm fresh out of cigars.
+